A senior attorney at the Law Office offered services and information to Russia in cases involving requests for legal assistance, Politis reported on Sunday, citing leaked emails with a Russian official.

The Politis report says that attorney Eleni Loizidou offered information about the status of cases concerning Russia’s requests for extradition of Russians or proposed ways to handle them.

In one of the leaked emails, she offered to intervene in case against an individual called Shamulov in an attempt to delay the procedure and so give Russian authorities time to prepare documents, Politis reported.

In another case, Loizidou advised Irina Shatova, an officer at the Russian prosecutor’s general’s office with who she had a friendly relationship, how to produce documents which would help the handling of cases at Cypriot courts in order to get the desired rulings, Politis said, and added that the handling of 43 cases in a legally questionable manner helped Russia.

In another email with Vladimir Zimin the deputy head of the department for international cooperation at the Russian prosecutor general’s office, dated March 14, 2013, Loizidou thanked him for the “excellent hospitality and the wonderful time we had last summer in Moscow,” and requested, in exchange for advice she offered regarding Russia’s complaints about requests for asylum filed by Russian nationals, she said apparently jokingly, that she hoped to get a job offer if she is fired for passing this type of information.

In another email with Zimin dated September 30, 2015, Loizidou who was one of the three Cypriots nominated for a position as judge at the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR), asked for Russia’s vote, Politis reported.

The report came weeks after Russia publicly expressed its displeasure over Cyprus’s handling of a Russian request for legal assistance in a probe against Hermitage Capital founder Bill Browder. The investor-turned-activist resorted to a Cypriot court requesting an emergency injunction prohibiting Cyprus from cooperating with Russia in the investigation which he says is politically motivated and in response to his campaign for justice for Russian lawyer Sergei Magnitsky.

Magnitsky died in a Russian prison eight years ago after exposing a $230m (€194m) tax theft when the police officers he implicated in the case arrested him, had him tortured and denied him access to medical treatment.

The Cypriot government put the investigation on ice after Browder and his associate Ivan Cherkasov filed their application in September with the Nicosia District Court, prompting criticism by the Russian foreign ministry and the Russian ambassador Stanislav Osadchiy days ahead of President Nicos Anastasiades’s visit to Moscow.

Attorney-general Costas Clerides said that “the issue, as presented, has several aspects which require attention”.

Clerides, who was responding in a text message to the Cyprus Business Mail, added that “what has to be done has to be considered”.

In 2015, Clerides ordered an investigation which led to the conviction of deputy attorney-general Rikkos Erotocritou and two other lawyers in a bribery case.

On November 6, she was present at the hearing of Browder’s case at the Nicosia court, when the government objected his request.

The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, asked in 2014, member states to ignore Russia’s requests for legal assistance regarding Browder and follow the example of the US which five years ago passed the Magnitsky Act which targets individuals and companies involved in Magnitsky’s death. Several European countries have done so. Interpol has repeatedly rejected Russia’s arrest warrants against the US-born investor who is now a UK citizen.

When contacted by phone by the Cyprus Business Mail, Loizidou declined to comment citing time pressure as she was about to catch her flight.

Minister of Justice Ionas Nicolaou was not immediately available for comment.

Interesting, now the next very interesting part is who in the government she worked with to get things done 😉

SuzieQ

I think this will run and run.

Barry White

At least until Monday morning.

gentlegiant161

When you will hear about the letter sent to May by Blojo and Gove wanting a complete break brexit and the trail of who advised them and the company they keep.

Disenchanted

No doubt there will be a cover up

Neroli

That’s more to the point!

Stefcy

Well done Stelios Orphanides for telling us.
Honestly, I didn´t know that Russia is relying on corrupt cypriot lawyers. I always thought they would get all information first hand anyway.

Disenchanted

It’s Politis who uncovered, the CM is only reproducing the story.

Stefcy

That`s what`s been said in the article. I can read.
But I want to give credit to a person who gives his name for a critical article.
Cyprus needs courageous journalists.

Guest

Slowly the truth is beginning to emerge.

JS Gost

Anyone surprised ?

SuzieQ

Not at all. I bet there are people behind the scenes scurrying around trying to cover this up.

Barry White

Nope – the denizens of the The Coffeeshop simply nodded their heads.

Cyprus

Whats the big deal about this story Cyprus owes Russia billions of euros on very good terms of interest in Cyprus’s favor, to help against tax evaders is supposed to be the right thing to do is it not. If the story said the attorney’s links to the UK or USA this would no doubt be ok.

Roger Thecabinboy

If you know how Russia Works, criminal complaints such as over tax evasion are frequently a cover for a company to be seized and handed over to Putin’s cronies.

Cyprus

You have to ask yourself why does a company need to be seized by the government,
what has said company been up to or involved in .

Omilitis

Would you support Cyprus government sending people to jail and confiscating their business if they spoke against it?

Cyprus

Is not Mr Snowden on the run from the USA for speaking against the US

gentlegiant161

Both names are implicated in connection to ongoing inquiries in the West.
More floats to the surface week on week.
You seem to have extensive knowledge?
you describe Magnitskys case exactly

Cyprus

If you get off one side of the fence and take off your rosey sunglasses and sit on the neutral wall you will find all super powers are not unalike

Lev

Snowden is alive, Magnitsky is dead.

Cyprus

He wont be alive if and when the CIA get there hands on him.

Lev

CIA got their hands on Chelsea Manning, she is alive and free…

Roger Thecabinboy

Because it is making money but not for Putin or his cronies…..

gentlegiant161

“Billions of euros on very good interest” you mixed up EU with Russia.
Christoffee rebuked the EU loan to get a smaller loan from Russia at a higher rate of interest than the EU one…when like Oliver Twist he asked for more he was rebuffed…
There are many avenues of inquiries regarding subversion at present…..
Its an Easy bet there are others on the island who are now worried.
I hope you have a big carpet.

Cyprus

Russia gave Cyprus a few years grace before payments were to start to be paid back

gentlegiant161

They refused a second request from christofias .. your replies dont seem to relate to reality.
You join the EU then whine about the rules. Within the EU its a free market, you cannot keep the old protectionist exclusion just to keep the unions happy …
They will crash and burn like Cyprus Airways did, overblown and self serving
Cyprus actually has more diversity and routes now…. the Troija are keeping Cyprus afloat the fact they want the same rules to apply as are current with EU members isnt a big deal to one of its smallest members .

Cyprus

Its not just the unions happiness its the masses we dont want rich companies local or foreign taking over our infrastructure . In the UK for example OIL, GAS, ELECTRIC.WATER, POST OFFICE,TRANSPORT,ECT
was owned by the masses and run at cost and even run at a loss for the benefit of the masses now they are run for maximum profits for the minority rich and even foreign companies are running most of the uk infrastructure ask the masses what they think of that 99% will say they hate the situation. The NHS will soon end up in profit making companies hands .

gentlegiant161

That’s why heavy fuel oil is still burned in your power stations and you are fined for dirty pollution by EU …….unions are happy, public end up paying and breathing the fumes

Cyprus

We dont want to lose our infrastructure even if it means paying fines once the EAC is sold the rest will go fast at the end of the day the infrastructure is owned by the people who live in Cyprus local or nonlocal its owned by the taxpayer who ever he or she may be and not some French or German or other company abroad. And I can’t see them companys been bothered about people in Cyprus breathing in fumes as long as they are making big profits .

Cyprus

We hope in the near future to be burning newly found local gas

mazuate

her behaviour is not only illegal… foreign agent – treason comes to mind

Evergreen

Very disappointing and unprofessional attitude.

almostbroke

Cypriot Lawyers – skulduggery ! Nothing new !

David Hill

When pressed for a comment Loizidou replied she was late for her flight, To where?. Russia with a sackful of paperwork?.

Douglas

No money

David Hill

Depends on whether the information is good enough for a payment.

mr smart

Shock horror. Commies in Cyprus.

ROC.

Commies in Cyprus???? sorry what date are you talking about 1917? thinks our history timeline is out of sync mate.

mr smart

Blah blah comrade

Martin Standage

When ‘Politis’ newspaper contacted the Attorney General about these allegations, apparently his reply was that they should stop bothering him, even though he did concede that the Sunday Mail report ‘needs looking into!’This suggests that he neither denies the allegations or admits they are true, which in itself is a reflection of how one of the highest paid officials in this country behaves!The implications of this matter could have serious ramifications, not only on the reputation of the highest legal authority in the country but also on the government itself:therefore we need to keep bothering the A.G. and insist that the truth is known?

David Wilson

Selling EU passports and corruption off the scale here. Would never happen in the North 😉